Back Home

We got up early Tuesday morning and hit the road for the ride home.  I think the ride home is always the longest.  It was uneventful and "only" 7 hours, but it seemed like it took forever.

Very happy to see this

We stopped at a cafe in Holbrook for lunch and for some gas in Payson, but other than that, we drove straight through.  

When we got home, the dogs were very happy to see us, but it took a few hours for the cats to appear.  According to our house sitter, he didn't see the cats the whole time we were gone.  

So now we are settling back into routine and catching up on laundry, but it's good to be home.  It was a great trip and I'm so glad we did it.  I will end with our trip favorites:

Stan - Iowa:  Everything about it, the land, the farms, and visiting family and friends.

Chris - Driving off of the main interstate to see parts of the country we have never seen before.

Ethan - Baseball camp at the University of Utah

Nikki - Utah:  seeing Auntie Margie and Alex and especially Lagoon

Santa Fe - Day 2

There was not much going on today.  We slept in a little and had a slow start.  We went to the plaza in Santa Fe.  It was OK.  It reminded me of Old Town Scottsdale.  Maybe if we hadn't been from the southwest, we might have enjoyed it more.

After walking around the plaza, we joined our AZ friends for lunch at a local favorite called Horseman's Haven.  It's a little hole-in-the-wall family restaurant that our neighbor recommended.  We were also referred to that restaurant when we asked some locals.  It serves New Mexican cuisine and they are famous for their green chili sauce.  They have different levels and we were told to stick with level on, and on the side, since it is a bit spicy.  They were right, it was really good and really spicy.  I had it on a chicken enchilada and Stan had the "3-D Burrito".

After lunch, we took the boys to baseball.  We dropped them off since they had to get the field ready for the game.  So, Nikki, Stan and I went to a nearby mall and walked around.  It was a nice mall.  Not a lot of major stores.  It had a lot of boutiques and specialty shops.  After window shopping, we got an ice cream and then went back to the ball park, where the guys were just warming up.

The Santa Fe Fuego is part of Pecos League of Professional Baseball Clubs.  The guys that are on this team try out every year and it's a summer league.  The head coach is Ethan's hitting coach, Bill Moore, who has been around baseball in AZ since the 60's and seems to know everyone who has ever coached in AZ.  The guys who play on the team get paid about $55 a week and live with a host family while they are in Santa Fe for the summer.  It was fun when they hit home runs...a volunteer passes around a hat and the fans put in money and the money collected goes to the player who hits the home run.  That night, they must have hit at least 6 home runs.  The players are responsible for getting the field ready for the game and cleaning up after. But what I really noticed was how much fun they were all having and they all genuinely were happy to be there.  They welcomed Ethan and his pals and helped them to feel welcomed.

E and Nat on the field

Offering some pitching advice (I think)

Kind of funny here, they were hitting off a tee right before this photo when the one guy just to the left of Ethan noticed Ethan's gigantic feet and they were all comparing shoe and hand sizes.  Ethan had the largest hands and feet of the bunch, but was the shortest.  

The team before the game started.

Ethan's new hat

Bill Moore, their hitting coach

The game ran late and it was really cold out (in the low 60s with wind).  The Fuego ended up winning and the boys had a chance to thank their coach after the game.

Santa Fe - Day 1

We left Denver this morning on our way to our last destination, Santa Fe.  We stopped on our way to the Fallen Firefighter Memorial in Colorado Springs.  Every September, fire fighters from all over the US and Canada come there to remember those who lost their lives in the line of duty.  Since we have never had the opportunity to go then, we thought we would stop since we were driving through.

There isn't much to say about the memorial.  It was beautiful, but looking at all of the names on the walls leaves you speechless.

The largest sculpture in the center of the memorial. It's a firefighter climbing a ladder.  I didn't see a title to this one, but I think he's climbing a ladder to heaven.

One of the other sculptures.  A firefighter crying.

Empty boots and helmet

Just part of the walls.  Names of firefighters who have dies in the line of duty are listed here by date.

Look carefully at these walls.  These are some the firefighters who died on 9-11

A poem.  Enlarge and read.

After stopping at the memorial, we finished our journey to Santa Fe.  We are stopping here because Ethan's hitting coach coaches a professional baseball team called the Santa Fe Fuego.  He works with several of the boys from Valley's team and told them that if they were ever in Santa Fe, they could come and hit with the guys and shag balls.  So, when we planned this trip, a couple of Ethan's teammates decided to join us.  They were already here when we arrived and planned on not only going to tomorrow's game (which we had planned) but to also go to tonight's game.  So we dropped Ethan off at the ball park just as they were getting practice started.  

While Ethan was hitting and shagging, Stan, Nikki and I went to find the hotel and get some dinner.  Then Stan dropped us off at the hotel and joined the boys at the game.  Hopefully I will get to join them tomorrow and get some photos. 

Denver - Day 3

We had intentions of going up to Breckenridge today.  As we got outside of Denver, about 45 miles from Breckenridge, traffic came to a stand still.  There were signs that said to turn off engines to conserve gas and that there was bridge construction ahead.  Stan and I decided that we were tired of sitting in the car, so we got off on the next exit, which lead us to Golden.  It ended up being a good thing because Golden was having their farmer's market.  So we parked and explored their farmer's market.  This was a busy place and many of the booths had already sold out  But I did find some yummy looking tomatoes and strawberries to bring home.

After our quick stop at the farmer's market, we went back to the hotel and for the rest of the day, we hung out, rested, and didn't do much.  It was rather nice.  We even walked to a restaurant for dinner.

So, that ended our stay in Colorado.  We are leaving in the morning for Santa Fe and some baseball.

Denver - Day 2

Our first destination today was to Golden, Colorado, which is east of Denver. 

Golden is a town where there is lots of shopping and dining, everything in walking distance.  So, we strolled through the town and did some window shopping and just looking around.

After walking around downtown Golden, we went over to the Coors Brewery.  It's right there in downtown Golden and takes up a space of 5 miles.   Something I learned about Coors is that they are totally self sufficient.  They not only make all their beer in the factory, but they also make every other part, such as their bottles and cans.  I'm not a beer drinker, but it was a pretty interesting tour.

Part of the tour includes free samples.  For those under 21, you can have Pepsi products, so the kids also got samples.  I really don't like the taste of beer, so I thought I would sample a few different kinds. I was expecting a small glass full, but their samples are full sized beer glasses and you can get up to 4 of them.  Needless to say, I sampled a sip of 2 and that was more than enough for me.  I think the Blue Moon Blonde was my favorite (if you can call it a favorite).

After the Coors tour, we went up a long and windy trail called Lariat Loop which lead to the top of a mountain and Buffalo Bill's grave.  There were pretty views from way up there.  I was shocked to see how many people like to ride up the trail on bicycle.  That would be a work out!  

Denver, on a hazy day

The Rocky Mountains

After coming down from the Lariat Loop, we went back to downtown Denver.  There is a candy factory called Hammond's Candy Factory and we told Nikki that if we went on the Coors Tour, we would then go on the candy factory tour. 

Although not as interesting as the Coors tour, it was interesting watching the workers make the candy.  That day they were making candy canes.   After the tour, we had to go to the gift shop and purchase a few of the yummy goodies.

From the candy store we went in search of a restaurant that we saw on Diners, Drive Ins and Dives called Highland Tavern.  We found it pretty close to the candy factory and near the ball park.  Not in the best part of town, but it was pretty good.  Their specialty is their homemade tater tots and they were very good.  

Then, it was time for the boys to go to their ball game, so we dropped the guys off at the ball park and Nikki and I headed back to the hotel to rest a bit and go to a movie.

Denver - Day 1

It was kind of sad leaving South Dakota this morning.  We had such a good time and loved seeing friends and relatives.

We left early this morning for Denver.  The drive from Sioux Falls to Denver is over 10 hours.  It was nice because I got to drive about 3 of those hours, breaking up the trip.  We didn't do much interstate driving.  Half of the drive was on the state highways, which I love to do.  You see so much that you don't get to see from the interstate and occasionally drive through a small town.  I always imagine what it would be like to live in those small towns.

Surprising to me, one of the prettiest parts of the drive was in north-central Nebraska.  I was expecting to see a bunch of corn or wheat fields.  Instead, there were rolling green hills and prairies and a lot of ponds, rivers and marshes.  There were so many wildflowers throughout the drive. So pretty.

Northeast Colorado isn't much to look at, but after a really long drive, we got to Denver, then got stuck in heavy traffic due to rush hour and construction that narrowed the freeway to two lanes.  But, we finally arrived at our hotel in Greenwood Village.  It is really nice around here.  Our hotel is great and close to shopping and the freeway.  We have a nice view of  the southern suburbs of Denver and the mountains.  We went swimming and Ethan worked out when we arrived. Then we went to Red Robin (one of the family favorites) to eat a late dinner.

I'm looking forward to exploring Denver tomorrow.

Sioux Falls - Day 3

Today was a day of sight seeing and driving around this part of the country. It was a day for Stan to reminisce his childhood summers and to see relatives.   We first drove to Brandon, SD to see the farm where Stan's dad grew up.

Then we drove to Steen, MN to see where Stan's mom grew up.  We weren't sure which house was hers, so we didn't get a photo of that.

After that, we just drove all over NW Iowa. 

This is pretty much what Iowa looks like.

There are small towns all over the place with anywhere from a few hundred to a few thousand residents.  The first stop we made in Iowa was to a little town called Hospers to see his former roommate EJ.  Stan had not told EJ we were coming and it was a total surprise to him.  He owns an auto body shop and has lots of "cool old cars" and he showed Stan and Ethan all around.  

Nikki really wasn't interested in car talk, so she made friends with EJ's dog

EJ's garage at his house

After Hospers, we went to a town called Orange City.  It is a really Dutch town.  Well, most of NW Iowa is a Dutch town, but this one really embraced their Dutch heritage.

In Orange City, we stopped at a Dutch bakery for a snack and then moved on to Sioux Center.  In Sioux Center, we found their mall (a building with about 8 stores and a cinema) because we knew they had a store that sells a lot of things from Holland and we were looking for something for Stan's mom.  We got ourselves another Dutch treat while we were there.

Then driving around Sioux Center, we drove past the local college, Dordt College.  The gym was called DeWitt Gymnasium, so Ethan wanted a photo

From Sioux Center, we drove to Rock Valley, where more DeWit's live.  We found Stan's cousin, Greg at work and talked to him for a little bit, then went to visit his parents, Don and Lou.  After a short visit, we went back to Greg's house and met up with Greg, his wife Gayle, and their son, Ryan and went out to eat at a local place called Bake's for dinner.  I had one of the best chicken dinners ever.  Who would have thought a little restaurant in Rock Valley, Iowa would be that good?  We visited for awhile and Stan and Greg reminisced about all the fun times they had (and trouble they got into) growing up.

After a long day, we headed back home to do some laundry and to clean up and get ready for our long drive to Denver in the morning.

Sioux Falls - Day 2

We were slow to get up and moving this morning.  All the traveling we have been doing over the past week or so caught up to us.  But at around noon time, we once again got in the car for a short ride to downtown Sioux Falls.

Our first stop was at THE Sioux Falls.  It is not a really high water fall, but it is rather low.  The water flows over quartzsite rocks around a pretty park.

We walked around the park and climbed on the rocks where the water was low

In Sioux Falls, they offer a free trolley from the Falls Park that goes around down town throughout the day.  So, after walking around the park, we boarded the trolley and went for a walk in downtown Sioux Falls.

Downtown Sioux Falls is small, but a neat town to walk around

They had a sculpture walk down town with many different types of sculptures.

Waiting for the trolley

After walking around downtown for awhile, we got back on the trolley and took it back to the park and headed home for a little while.  While stopped at a light, this was the back of the truck we were stopped behind.  I had never seen anything like it and it was really gross:

That evening, we met the Sioux Falls DeWits at a park for some pizza.  It was so nice seeing everyone and spending time visiting.  Unfortunately, I was so busy visiting that I forgot to take photos.  After pizza, we walked down to the softball fields to watch a couple of the younger cousins play some softball.

Then we went to Burger King, where Aunt Mary treated us all to ice cream cones.  Something that I have noticed about the midwest is that everything shuts down so early.  It seems that by 7 p.m. just about everything is closed.  Burger King closed at 10 (they had to unlock the doors to let us out!)

What a fun group of people we were fortunate to visit.  I hope we can do it again soon!

Sioux Falls - Day 1

We woke up early this morning and after breakfast (couldn't pass up one of those gourmet breakfasts!) we left for Sioux Falls.

The ride was pretty easy.  It was basically flat and straight.  It was pretty seeing all the prairies.  We made one detour..Wall Drug.  We got out and stretched and walked around.  It was an odd place.  Very touristy.  It is hard to describe, but it is a bunch of little shops within one shop, along with a cafe.  Nikki got a dish of homemade ice cream and Stan and I had a doughnut.  Ethan opted for the "Free Ice Water" that they advertise.   Glad we stopped...won't go back again.

We were going to drive through the badlands, but when we found out there was a charge to drive through it, we opted for the highway and looked at it from a distance.  We drove all the way to Mitchell, which is about an hour outside of Sioux Falls.  We had intentions on stopping at the World Famous Corn Palace, but we were starving, so we ate first.  Then after we were done eating, we decided that we were more tired and just wanted to reach Sioux Falls.

The whole trip took just over 5 hours, which isn't too bad, but I think it is all catching up with us.  We arrived at Stan's cousin's house and all four of us have been dragging ever since.  I think an early bed time and a chance to sleep in tomorrow should do the trick.

I am looking forward to driving around the Sioux Falls area tomorrow then getting together with some families for some pizza and softball in the evening.

Mt. Rushmore - Day 3

We woke up this morning to the smell of apple pancakes, roasted potatoes, sausage and fruit.  After filling our tummies, we got our itinerary for the day and set out for today's adventure.

Our first stop was Mt. Rushmore.  It was an absolutely gorgeous day.  We spent a lot of time in the information center.  I love to read about things like that.  But sensing that everyone else was getting bored, we did the President's walk.  It was a nice little walk around to get different views of the monument.  I was a little disappointed that there was not much information on the walk to read about.  You had to get the audio tour for that.  I would definitely do that if I go back.

While we were there, there were people from all over the world.  But I have to add a little commentary about the education system in America. And hopefully a chuckle like it gave me.   I guess I can do that since I'm a teacher.  Basically, I don't know what to say, other than, "wow" Are people really that ignorant?  Coming from children, it would be cute, but adults?  Here are a couple of comments I overheard:

When you enter the monument, you walk through a walkway with the flags of all 50 states lining the walkway.  One lady says, "I wonder what the significance of all these flags is?"

Then while on the presidential walk, there is a little information on each president on the monument.  One lady tells her husband, "Wow, I've only heard of Washington and Lincoln.  I've never heard of these other guys."  Ethan and I had a good laugh on that one.  But that's when I thought, man, the education system in America needs to focus a little more on American history.  It was scary.

Anyway, the monument was absolutely gorgeous and I could have spent most of the day there.

After Mt. Rushmore, we went to a lake called Sylvan Lake.  It was probably one of the prettiest lakes I have ever seen.  Not like an Arizona lake at all.  I wish we knew what to expect and had fishing poles and some chairs.  We walked around the lake and took in the beauty.  These pictures don't do it justice:

We were supposed to go see the Crazy Horse monument, but decided to pass on this since we had seen it while we were driving a couple of times and we were tired.   Stan had really wanted to go "zip lining" from a billboard he had seen, so we went looking for that attraction.  It wasn't what I would call a real zip line.  It was pretty short and you sat in a seat.  I didn't particularly want to do that so I watched Stan and Nikki do the ride, which lasted less than a minute.

After the zip line experience, we went back in to town for some lunch and back to the lodge for a nap.  All of that driving at sight seeing is exhausting!

Later in the evening, we drove back to Mt. Rushmore for the lighting ceremony.  I was able to connect with my friend, Kerry, whom I haven't seen in probably 18 years, and meet her daughter Jasmine.  Nikki and Jasmine kicked it off instantly and Kerry and I were able to talk like we see each other all the time.

The night time lighting ceremony was awesome!  The ranger came out and gave a little presentation and then there was a movie about the monument and the impact each of the four presidents had on America. At the end of the movie, the monument was lit up.  I tried to get a photo, but couldn't get my camera to turn off the flash.

I think one of my favorite part was after that, though.  America the Beautiful played in the background and it was neat to hear the audience sing along. I love that song.  Then after the Star Spangled banner, where everyone sang along, members of the military and veterans were asked to come up to the stage.  It was neat seeing so many of them.  They walked up and without being told formed perfectly straight lines.  They folded the flag and introduced each and every one of them.  Then the audience gave them a standing ovation.  

What a wonderful end to the day!  More driving tomorrow as we head east.  I'm so glad we made the trip here.